Fishburn Hedges consultant David Ashford will take up the post on 12 October.

The society believes the media's misuse of ecclesiastical terms can encourage misconceptions of Christianity. 'If sub-editors don't understand Christianity, they won't get the angle right. We want them to know they can call on someone for advice,' said partnership and development executive Ann Holt.

Confusion is caused by 'evangelical', a particular kind of church, and 'evangelistic', a method of proclaiming a message. Journalists also write about different 'interpretations' of the Bible when they mean different translations, Holt added.

She described Ashford's role as 'a classic networking job'. He will build contacts with journalists and liaise with Christian and non-Christian media groups. The society exists to demonstrate the Bible's credibility in England and Wales.